Other Side of the Raid
Meet and greet (Part 3)
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Previously on âThe Other Side of the Raidâ
Chapter 10, Part 2: Meet and Greet
The disturbance outside Lady Kitsune Starweaverâs office resolves itself when Don Leone Shadowclaw, a flamboyant producer from rival network Midnight Sun Broadcasting, makes an unannounced visit. Despite his efforts to maintain a polished professional demeanor, he repeatedly slips into mob-style speech as he probes for information about Ariaâwho turns out to be his competitionâs latest sensation. Upon being formally introduced, Don Leone is visibly rattled and beats a hasty retreat, his composure unraveling entirely as his voice carries back down the corridor.
With the interruption behind them, Lady Kitsune Starweaver transforms her office into an elegant dining space overlooking swirling galaxies, and Aria presents Ryuseiâs Earth cuisine to an assembled crowd of onlookers. The dishesâincluding crystal-infused ramenâcause a stir among the various alien beings in attendance. During the gathering, Aria slips away to a quieter corridor where she has a furtive encounter with a nervous mouse in a rumpled business suit, who discreetly trades a condiment packet of salt for a tip about the executive lounge cheese.
When Aria rejoins Lady Kitsune Starweaver in her private office, the Fox Producer reveals the true purpose of the visit: the Federation wants to stage a major event pitting recruited Earth explorers against a high-level Raid bossânone other than Rei âNightmareâ Nekohara. Ariaâs diplomatic composure breaks at the news, though she is reassured that all participants will train in the Federationâs special Training Room, a dimensional facility where death is impossible. The explorers would be coached by Professor Rosepetal Quillscribe on magic and by Lady Crystallineâthe tenth-floor guardian of Midnight Crescendoâon combat tactics. Generous compensation in fully charged crystals is offered as incentive.
Overwhelmed by the enormity of the taskârecruiting, briefing, and preparing Earth explorers for an interdimensional spectacle while keeping Federation secretsâAria is shown to a stable-dimension guest suite designed along Cyrbonian lines. Exhausted, she collapses onto the hovering bed fully clothed before she can process another word.
Key Takeaways:
Don Leone Shadowclaw is a rival producer from Midnight Sun Broadcasting who repeatedly slips into mob-style speech and is visibly destabilized upon meeting Aria
The salt trade Aria learned about earlier extends even to the Pleiades Entertainment Hub, as a nervous mouse operative trades a secret tip for a salt packet
Lady Kitsune Starweaver reveals a plan for a large-scale event: Earth explorers versus Rei âNightmareâ Nekohara, a Raidâs final boss
All participants will train inside the Federationâs Training Room, a dimensional facility where avatars are auto-generated and permanent death cannot occur
Professor Rosepetal Quillscribe will handle magical instruction, while Lady Crystallineâtenth-floor guardian of Midnight Crescendoâwill oversee combat training
Participants will sign binding Galactic Magic Federation NDAs and receive generous compensation in fully charged crystals
Aria is tasked with personally selecting and recruiting appropriate Explorer candidates from Earth
The scale of the assignment leaves Aria visibly shaken; she collapses into exhausted sleep in a Cyrbonian-designed guest suite before the proceedings can continue
Meet and greet (Part 3)
The next morning, Aria was woken up by Vaeloria bringing breakfast. The plate before her contained an assortment of otherworldly dishes: blue tentacles that gently writhed, purple furry spheres that seemed to shift between dimensions, and a bowl of iridescent green slime. None of it looked remotely appetizing.
Vaeloria: âOMG, youâre finally up! I totally triple-checked everything to make sure itâs safe for humans,â she bounced excitedly. âCome on, try it before we head out!â
Iâd rather not, but I donât want to be rude. Aria hesitantly picked up one of the dimension-shifting spheres.
Aria: âThis is... incredible!â She exclaimed after the first bite, genuine surprise in her voice.
A few minutes later, the plate was completely clean.
I never imagined alien food could taste this amazing. Aria marveled at the empty plate.
Vaeloria: âYouâre looking way better now!â She grinned mischievously. âWhich is perfect, âcause itâs time for like, the second reason youâre here!â
Oh no, I completely forgot about that. Aria felt a flutter of panic.
Vaeloria: âThis is gonna be totally awesome!â She practically danced toward the door. âLetâs go!â
Vaeloria led Aria through a maze of corridors that seemed to fold through impossible geometries. The distant sound of a crowd grew louder with each turn.
Vaeloria: âSo like, donât freak out or anything,â she said while guiding them toward what appeared to be a service entrance to The Grand Observatory. âBut you might have a few fans waiting...â
A few fans? Aria wondered as the corridor opened into the stadiumâs mid-level.
The sight that greeted her made her freeze mid-step. The Grand Observatory stretched impossibly in all directions, its architecture adapting to accommodate beings of every conceivable size and form. The seats - some floating, some phasing between dimensions, some seemingly made of pure energy - were filled with countless creatures. Some appeared relatively humanoid, while others defied description entirely.
The moment she emerged, a wave of cheering rolled through the stadium. Beings of all shapes and sizes rose in excitement, their various forms of applause creating a symphony of appreciation that transcended species barriers.
Lady Kitsune Starweaver: âDarlings!â Her voice carried effortlessly through the vast space as she appeared in a private box, her nine tails arranged in an elegant display. âThe moment youâve all been waiting for has arrived. Our rising star from Earth has graciously agreed to spend the day with her most devoted admirers!â
More cheers erupted. A crystalline being near the front actually shattered from excitement, only to reform immediately, still applauding.
Vaeloria: âKay, so weâve got like, a totally packed schedule!â She produced a holographic itinerary that sparkled with interdimensional energy. âFirst up is the meet-and-greet session - donât worry, everyoneâs been briefed on proper Earth-contact protocols!â
What exactly are Earth-contact protocols? Aria wondered as a line of beings began forming in impossibly organized patterns.
Lady Kitsune Starweaver: âWeâll begin with autographs,â she announced smoothly. âThen move on to some light sparring demonstrations - nothing too intense, darling, just enough to satisfy the ratings requirements.â
A small group of what appeared to be sentient nebulae floated nearby, their clouds forming shapes that might have been Earth-style cameras.
Vaeloria: âThose are the event documentarians,â she explained in a stage whisper. âTheyâre literally capturing this in every quantum wavelength possible!â
As the first fans approached - a family of beings that seemed to be made entirely of living mathematics - Aria took a deep breath and put on her best diplomatic smile. After all, how different could this be from a normal diplomatic function?
The answer, as it turned out, was quite a lot.
Math Being: âWould you mind signing our probability matrix?â The parent figures asked, their numerals glowing with enthusiasm. âYour combat variables are absolutely fascinating!â
Their child, a small floating fractal, kept trying to divide by zero in excitement until its parents had to stabilize its equations.
Next came a group of blob-like creatures that changed color with their emotions. They turned bright pink upon meeting Aria, literally bubbling with excitement.
Vaeloria: âOMG, these are like, from the Nebula Cluster!â She bounced excitedly. âTheyâve been binge-watching your fights for weeks!â
One blob attempted to reshape itself to match Ariaâs silhouette, while another produced what appeared to be a trading card with her image on it.
Blob Being: âWould you sign this? We love how you combined Creation magic with physical combat!â Was said while producing happy burbling noises.
The translator pendant rendered their burbles into perfectly understandable speech, though Aria noticed it struggled slightly with their more enthusiastic sound effects.
A tall, elegant being that seemed to be made entirely of living crystal approached next, its facets refracting light in complex patterns.
Crystal Being: âYour battle with Veracitrin inspired me to take up martial arts!â It chimed melodiously. âThough I keep accidentally growing crystal formations during practice...â Its edges turned slightly pink with embarrassment.
Vaeloria: âCareful with the next group,â she whispered to Aria. âTheyâre like, super enthusiastic about Earth culture, but they might have gotten some details mixed up...â
A cluster of tentacled beings floated forward, each wearing what appeared to be their best attempt at Earth fashion - one had several ties knotted around various tentacles, another wore three different hats simultaneously, and a third had somehow acquired what looked suspiciously like a traffic cone as an accessory.
Tentacled Fan: âWe have studied your planetâs customs extensively!â They announced proudly, while attempting to perform what might have been a bow but looked more like a tentacle tangle. âIs it true that all Earth meetings must begin with the ritual of âhigh fivingâ?â
Before Aria could respond, another fan pushed forward - a being that seemed to exist in several dimensions simultaneously, its form shifting between various shapes as it moved.
Dimensional Being: âCould you demonstrate that trick where you made those adamantine nails?â It asked eagerly, its form flickering with excitement. âIâve been practicing, but I keep accidentally creating things in the wrong dimension!â
Vaeloria: âMaybe save the dangerous stuff for the demonstration later?â She suggested quickly, noting how the beingâs enthusiasm was causing small reality distortions in the nearby space.
A small group of what appeared to be sentient starlight waited patiently in line, their light dimming and brightening in what must have been their version of excited whispers. Each held what looked like a collection of captured moments from Ariaâs various adventures, the images playing in loops of pure light.
At least theyâre not asking for dangerous demonstrations. Aria thought with relief.
That relief was short-lived as the next fan approached - a massive energy being carefully holding what appeared to be...
Vaeloria: âOMG, is that a miniature replica of the entire Cherry Blossom Symphony Dungeon?â She peered at the intricate model floating in the energy beingâs field. âThat must have taken forever to make!â
The energy being buzzed with what the translator rendered as proud embarrassment:
Energy Being: âOnly three Earth months of constant quantum manipulation! Would you mind signing it? Perhaps with one of those amazing nails?â
đĄ End of Transmission
Oliver here - That was quite a chapter! Our dimensional frequency is picking up intense emotional resonance from Ariaâs world. What did you think of her decision? The comments below are buzzing with theories from other interdimensional travelers...